BDN Maine Announces 2013 What’s Next Conference Lineup

July 17, 2013 9:42 am

BANGOR, Maine — The Bangor Daily News announced its lineup for the 2013 BDN Maine What’s Next Conference presented by Bangor Savings Bank. The conference will be held Friday, Aug. 9, on the Bangor Waterfront in conjunction with the KahBang Music Festival and is part of a new initiative by Maine’s statewide newspaper to bring high-caliber entertainment and participatory productions to Maine.

“This will be a one-of-a-kind opportunity to hear some incredibly smart and dynamic speakers,” said Patrick Lemieux, BDN Maine’s events producer. “Attendees will learn from the experts how to better promote their business, brand or cause.”

BDN Maine began producing events this spring with the newly expanded BDN Maine Garden Show and Spring Fling in Bangor and the BDN Maine Outdoors Expo in Portland. The What’s Next Conference is the first event geared to business leaders and entrepreneurs on a statewide level.

“We are really excited to partner with the BDN in expanding our festival to include the What’s Next Conference,” said Josh Gass, creative director for KahBang. “KahBang is a discovery festival that helps expose people to new artists and new ideas, and adding a tech and innovation component is something we have wanted to do for some time. The BDN has done a fantastic job in creating a unique event that fits in perfectly with our brand.”

The day-long conference will feature 24 film, tech, social media and business experts representing 20 cutting-edge companies, and will be held in an innovative clear-span structure on the Bangor Waterfront.

“This is the first time that a clear-span structure has been set up on the Bangor Waterfront; it will really be something to see,” noted Lemieux. “It’s exciting to bring people like Chris Brogan of Human Business Works and Dan Fletcher, former Facebook’s managing editor, to Bangor. I love being able to showcase an event that features such distinguished speakers discussing social media, inbound marketing, video and app integration, and other tech and business topics.”

A complete lineup of speakers, topics, times and ticket information is available at BDNMaineWhatsNext.com. Each ticket will grant the attendee full access to the What’s Next Conference, a networking happy hour, and entrance to KahBang Music Festival on the Bangor Waterfront Aug. 9-10.

The BDN Maine What’s Next Conference is presented by Bangor Savings Bank along with television sponsor WABI TV5.